The present invention relates to the field of fiber optics and specifically to a planar housing for optical components having an electro-optic component.
In fiber optic transmission systems, it is desirable to couple as much of the transmitted light from a fiber optic cable to a receiving device as possible. One factor determining the amount of light that can be transmitted is the alignment of the optical fiber cable with the receiving device. Alignment of an optical fiber with a receiving device is a critical step in an automated manufacturing process. Of particular interest is the alignment of optical fibers with electro-optic devices in an automated manufacturing process designed for handling optical fiber terminations.
One technique used to align optical fibers with electro-optic devices is to fasten the optical fibers inside of the electro-optic device package. Some prior art methods of fastening an optical fiber inside of an electro-optic package utilize an epoxy to attach the optical fiber to a substrate. Other methods use high melting point bonding materials, such as silicone. Typically, in the latter case, thermal sensors are required to monitor temperature to avoid damage to components. These techniques require extensive direct manipulation of the optical fibers and do not always result in optimal alignment.
Other techniques involve connecting an optical fiber, or group of fibers, to a ferrule prior to alignment with an electro-optic device. The fiber is inserted so as to extend beyond a front surface of the ferrule. The exposed fiber material is then cleaved and polished. Typically, individual fibers must be inserted into respective individual holes or passages in a prefabricated ferrule. The passages align the fibers at a predetermined spacing for coupling to the ends of the fibers in a complementary connector ferrule or other component.
This process too, requires extensive direct manipulation of the optical fibers and is not well suited to an automated manufacturing process. Because of the very thin size and extremely fragile nature of the fibers, it can be difficult to insert a fiber into a single aligning hole or passage, and even more difficult trying to insert several fibers from a group of fibers into several passages. If a single fiber is broken, the fiber must be discarded and/or reworked.
Because electro-optic devices, such as photo detectors, typically are manufactured as discrete components, coupling and aligning with optical fibers is tedious and difficult. Often, specialized equipment and procedures (beyond what is needed for optical components only) are needed to accommodate the electro-optic devices. Thus a need exists for an apparatus and method which can efficiently couple and align optical components with electro-optic components in an automated manufacturing process.
An optical component housing having a region for retaining at least one optical component includes at least one lens optically coupled to one of the optical components. At least one electro-optic component is attached to the apparatus. Each electro-optic component is optically coupled to a corresponding lens. Each electro-optic component is aligned with a corresponding lens by positioning the corresponding lens.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention.